Donald Trump chided President Obama in a Facebook post Thursday after a report that the Secret Service would like to improve White House security by raising the surrounding fence five more feet.
“President Obama understands that you build strong, tall, beautiful walls to keep people out who don’t belong. People who get permission can enter the White House LEGALLY!” Trump wrote.
The front-running Republican presidential candidate launched his campaign in June in a speech that condemned illegal immigration and called for a wall along the full 2,000 miles of the southern border. Trump has focused on immigration policy throughout his campaign.
Secret Service official Tom Dougherty told federal officials in a Wednesday meeting it was necessary to make changes to the fence because “we have now a society that tends to want to jump over the fence and onto the 18 acres.”
“The current fence simply is not adequate for a modern era. We’ve said that before. It is becoming more and more acutely clear that that is in fact the case,” Dougherty said.
Under the proposal, the fence would rise from 6-feet-11 to nearly 12 feet tall and would be completed by 2018. The renovations also would include “anti-climb features,” including small spikes to deter jumpers from crossing the top of the structure.
The plan is expected to be discussed before the National Capital Planning Commission on May 5, which must sign off on any changes to White House fencing. Congressional leaders were made aware about the potential changes in a meeting earlier this month.
